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Paul fires back: Sens. McCain, Graham think 'whole world is a battlefield'
The Hill ^ | March 7, 2013 | Daniel Strauss

Posted on 03/07/2013 12:51:49 PM PST by jazusamo

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blasted fellow GOP Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday, saying the two “think the whole world is a battlefield.”

Paul criticized the hawkish senators for thinking the laws of war should take precedence over the Bill of Rights. The two had criticized Paul’s statements about drone policy during the Kentucky Republican’s 13-hour filibuster on Thursday.

“They think the whole world is a battlefield including America and that the laws of war should apply,” Paul said in an interview on Fox News about McCain and Graham, who had described Paul’s comments about drones as “ridiculous.”

“The laws of war don't involve due process so when they ask you for an attorney you tell them to shut up. That's not my understanding of the way America works,” Paul told Fox. “I don't think the laws of war apply to America, I think the Bill of Rights do and I think it's a disservice to our soldiers that our senators up there arguing that the Bill of Rights aren't important.

Paul said whether drones can be used against U.S. citizens on U.S. soil is a “very serious question” and was at the root of Wednesday’s filibuster, which delayed a final confirmation vote on John Brennan, President Obama’s nominee to lead the CIA.

“This was a very serious question. It was a question that took a month and a half to get an answer to and I so I would argue and I think a lot of the public would agree with me, both on the right and the left, that what we ask was a very serious question and it's a question that we finally got an answer to,” Paul said.

Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday responded to Paul in a letter that said the U.S. does not have the authority to conduct a drone attack against a U.S. citizen on American soil.

“Hooray, for 13 hours yesterday we asked them that question. And so there is a result and a victory,” Paul said after the letter was read to him during the Fox interview. “Under duress and under public humiliation the White House will respond and do the right thing.”

The answer just took a filibuster that lasted almost half a day, Paul added.

“So now, after 13 hours of filibuster, we're proud to announce that the president is not going to kill unarmed Americans on American soil,” Paul continued. “My next question is why did it take so long, why is it so hard and why would a president so jealously guard power that they were afraid to say this but I am glad and I think that the answer does answer my question.”


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; US: Arizona; US: Kentucky; US: South Carolina; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: arizona; battlefield; billofrights; collaborator; ericholder; graham; johnmccain; kentucky; lindseygraham; mccain; randpaul; randpaulfilibuster; randpaulinterview; randsconcerntrolls; rino; southcarolina; standwithrand; waronterror
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To: jazusamo

Woo-Hoo!
Those two went too far this time.
The guard has changed and they’re on the outside!


41 posted on 03/07/2013 1:48:53 PM PST by onyx (FREE REPUBLIC IS HERE TO STAY! DONATE MONTHLY! IF YOU WANT ON SARAH PALIN''S PING LIST, LET ME KNOW)
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To: TexasCajun

And we all know what the Old Bulls are full of!


42 posted on 03/07/2013 1:49:48 PM PST by DTogo (High time to bring back The Sons of Liberty !!)
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To: Iron Munro

Well said, my FRiend. Holder’s little note of capitulation would have never happened but for the filibuster.


43 posted on 03/07/2013 1:50:23 PM PST by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: onyx; cripplecreek

I’ve got both your backs on this 100%


44 posted on 03/07/2013 1:50:44 PM PST by SatinDoll (NATURAL BORN CITZEN: BORN IN THE USA OF CITIZEN PARENTS.)
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To: manc

Sorry Rand, but if some terrorist (American citizen or not) is heading to a city or major sports arena, etc. to set off a nuke and we can take him out with a drone I say go for it.


45 posted on 03/07/2013 1:51:49 PM PST by conservaterian (NOW cTime for a CONSERVATIVE party, but no, if we do that than we have a conservative candidate?????)
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To: Iron Munro

Graham and McCain are the face of the private DC country club.


46 posted on 03/07/2013 1:51:56 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: jazusamo

Twitter is exploding with the following hashtags #primarylindsey #standwithrand


47 posted on 03/07/2013 1:54:08 PM PST by HOYA97 (twitter @hoya97)
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To: DTogo
MeCain & Graham just jumped the T.E.A. Party!

Graham has to run for re-election next year!

Hopefully this little episode will prompt a good T.E.A. Party Conservative to throw their hat into the ring and challenge him in his primary.

48 posted on 03/07/2013 1:55:01 PM PST by TexasCajun
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To: jazusamo

This was a Thank-You dinner from Obama to the old RINO’s for backing him on his claim of authority to kill Americans on Americans soil as long as he says they are a terrorist threat.

McCain and Graham agree with Onbama that anyone foolish enough to P.O. top Big Government officials is a valid drone target.

Just who the heck do those uppity citizens think they are anyway?


49 posted on 03/07/2013 1:55:18 PM PST by Iron Munro (I miss America, don't you?)
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To: jazusamo

McStain and Miss Lindsay are demented trolls. They are both a disgrace to the country and not fit to sit in the Senate.


50 posted on 03/07/2013 1:55:59 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: TexasCajun

Rubio/Paul 2016 (if we make it that far...)


51 posted on 03/07/2013 1:57:47 PM PST by madison10
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To: jazusamo

Nobody seems to be grasping the bigger picture here. Paul (and Cruz) got the regime to FINALLY admit that they don’t have the power to do something. That’s why it took so long for them to answer the question. They didn’t want to admit that. McCain and Graham are utterly clueless.


52 posted on 03/07/2013 1:58:09 PM PST by cdcdawg
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To: onyx

Thanks for the ping, onyx!


53 posted on 03/07/2013 1:58:23 PM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: bigbob
I can’t believe that more than 1% of the population would agree with McCain-Graham-Holder on the drone issue, regardless of political persuasion.

I do think quite a few would agree with Obama though.

A lot of people just naturally side with Obama on every issue because he is Obama, not because they understand the issue.

On this issue they might change their minds once they realize the "rules" would mean they could easily become targets too.

54 posted on 03/07/2013 2:00:55 PM PST by Iron Munro (I miss America, don't you?)
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To: HOYA97

That’s great, 2014 will be the time to get rid of the turkey, I’ll help support a conservative to primary him.


55 posted on 03/07/2013 2:00:58 PM PST by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: conservaterian

er if that was the case then the Govt would know about that attack way before they were just minutes away and would you want a bomb to hit a nuke because I would not

It;s scary to know that some , thankfully only a few think it;s alright for the Govt to attack and kill Americans with no trial, no charges, no nothing

Thankfully those people are a small minority


56 posted on 03/07/2013 2:02:00 PM PST by manc (Marriage =1 man + 1 woman,when they say marriage equality then they should support polygamy)
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To: onyx

“The Old White Flag Republicans...”

I read that with a missing “L” the first time, and thought of Lindsey Graham.


57 posted on 03/07/2013 2:02:22 PM PST by cdcdawg
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To: jazusamo
Not to blow my own patriotic horn but it felt sooooo good to write Graham and McCain (individually) this letter.

Dear Senator Graham: I am ashamed as a Republican that both you and Senator McCain rebuked Senator Paul for his filibuster yesterday, especially since you and Senator McCain were at dinner “making nice” with our deceitful and most divisive (during the sequester negotiations) President Obama. He was just “using you” to show he's bi-partisan when in reality he is NOT!!!! Here is what I wrote Senator Rand last night because as a Republican American I was proud of him and what he was doing.

“Dear Senator Paul: Thank you for what you did today. Thank you for defending the Constitution and pointing out how Obama has been a hypocrite, systematically undermining the Constitution and our rights and laws in this country. Pointing out “what's wrong is wrong”.

I was very proud that you voiced the thoughts and feelings of not only the Tea Party but also an ignored “majority” of this country (of Republicans, Independents and Conservative Democrats) who have been silenced by the Main Stream Media in giving Obama a pass on everything he does and then does not reporting to the public on anything Obama does that is unconstitutional and undermining our God given freedoms, rights and citizen protections given to us by our Founding Fathers.

Thank you for standing up and being a strong voice for truth, “right verses wrong”, common sense and true justice. Yours is a voice in the wilderness our great country has become. Please stay the course and influence your fellow senators to see we are in danger of losing our country and our rights. Thank you again for being a great and courageous American!”

Senator Graham, please in the future support Senator Paul's efforts and those too of Senator Rubio, Senator Cruz, Senator Lee and Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, John Cornyn of Texas, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Jeff Flake of Arizona, John Thune of South Dakota and Mitch McConnell, and stand with them instead of against them!!!

And stop “kissing up” to Obama and giving the smiles and thumbs up about your meetings with him.

58 posted on 03/07/2013 2:03:00 PM PST by WmShirerAdmirer
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To: conservaterian

Rand Paul only spent a good part of 13 hours yesterday explaining that he agrees with you on that scenario.


59 posted on 03/07/2013 2:03:47 PM PST by cdcdawg
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To: jazusamo

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blasted fellow GOP Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday, saying the two “think the whole world is a battlefield.”

Not a fan of McCain of Graham but if Paul does nt understand that indeed the whole world is a battlefield then he needs to get out more.........


60 posted on 03/07/2013 2:05:34 PM PST by SECURE AMERICA (Where can I sign up for the American Revolution 2013 and the Crusades 2013?)
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